Major redevelopment plans for Crestwood Court

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) -- Plans are moving forward to transform Crestwood Court Mall into an open-air entertainment district. Most of the mall would be torn down to make way for restaurants, a grocery store, a movie theater, and even concerts. It will be called The District at Crestwood.

Centrum Partners out of Chicago owns the property. The developer revealed the plans to Crestwood city leaders Tuesday night. Mayor Jeff Schlink is excited about the project and says it will be a major transformation.

“For people to get away from that property being a mall is going to be a big shift for them,” he said. “I think once people see the plans and wrap their minds around it, it will be a lot more appealing to them.”

The old Macy’s building will be transformed into 3 levels of mixed use including a fitness club, a grocery store, and movie theater. The old Dillard’s building will be torn down along with most of the mall. The entrance to The District at Crestwood would be a fountain plaza that can be turned off to host concerts and live events.

Taxpayer money is likely to be a part of the project and News 4 asked the mayor how much they’re willing to contribute.

“The incentive topic did come up, just to be fair to everyone it is on the table,” Schlink said. “But as of right now we don’t have a total cost of the project, and we haven’t talked about any specific numbers that would be tied to public money or TIF money.”

Mayor Schlink says any TIF money would have to be approved by St. Louis County. The first phase of the project has an ambitious timetable. He says it’s scheduled to open Summer of 2014.

Crestwood is planning town hall meetings to discuss the project and any possible public money.